Parshas Shemini

Eighth Day Jews

The parsha deals with the eighth day of the dedication of the Mishkan. In
general it can be stated that the eighth day after any event can be a time
of challenge. The eighth day of life is the day of circumcision of male
Jewish children. The eighth day – the day after the week of rejoicing of a
young newly married couple - was and is the day when real married life with
all of its joys and challenges begins.

The eighth day after the beginning of the holiday of Pesach in Israel is the
day when we return to our ordinary lives and tasks and many times that is a
moment of at least temporary depression. And here in the parsha the eighth
day is transformed from the day of joy and supreme attainment to one of
tragedy and silence.

The eighth day is a difficult day. But the main lesson here is that life is
in reality a series of ‘eighth days.’ The eighth day is unpredictable, it
can bring pain and sadness but it can also be inspiring and joyful,
productive and worthy. So the eighth day syndrome has become a metaphor for
life in general and certainly for Jewish life particularly.

Because of the potential problems and difficulties that the eighth day may
bring, the Torah begins the parsha with the word “vayehi” which is not
necessarily an expression of happiness. Here it will refer to the untimely
deaths of the two sons of Aharon. But in general it serves as a warning to
humans to view life cautiously and realistically. The Torah always teaches
us to drive defensively in all areas of living.

Aharon’s reaction to the tragedy that has befallen him is noteworthy. The
Torah emphasizes that he keep silent. Many times events occur in human lives
that are so shocking, sudden and overwhelming that humans are left
speechless. Silence then is really a reflex reaction. But here the Torah
records Aharon’s silence as an act of bravery, restraint and holiness and
not as a reflex reaction to the destruction of half of his family.

It indicates that Aharon had plenty he could have said and could have taken
Heaven to task, so to speak, but instead he himself chose to remain silent.
The Talmud in many instances advocates the supremacy of silence over
complaint, in fact over unnecessary speech generally. There is much to
complain about from our human viewpoint of life and its events. Heaven
however states that the fact that we are alive and functioning should be
sufficient to stifle any complaints.

This hard judgment is also one of the primary lessons of the eighth day.
Aharon’s unspoken heartbroken complaint and his unanswered, in fact unasked,
question hang in the air of Jewish history – mysterious and unfathomable.
This also is true of all eighth day challenges that face us - the righteous
and faithful shoulder on.

The great Rebbe of Kotzk said famously: “For the believer there are no
questions; for the non-believer there are no answers.” We are all eighth day
Jews. Let us also shoulder on to build the Jewish people in strength,
compassion and belief.